System and Method for Boarding Passengers Based on Bids

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for boarding passengers on flights or other transportation according to bids received from the passengers are provided. Passengers seeking to fly standby on an undersold flight can submit a bid representing the amount the passengers are willing to pay to board the flight. The airline can determine the number of seats available on the flight, and board the highest bidding passengers until the flight is full. Similarly, passengers willing to be bumped from an oversold flight can submit a bid representing the incentive the passengers are willing to accept to be bumped from the flight. The airline can determine the number of passengers that must be bumped from the flight, and bump the lowest bidding passengers (i.e., those willing to accept the least costly incentive) until a sufficient number of passengers have been bumped from the flight.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/051,816 titled “System and Method for BoardingPassengers Based on Bids,” filed on Mar. 18, 2011, which is a divisionalapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/221,734 titled“System and Method for Boarding Passengers Based on Bids,” filed on Aug.6, 2008, the complete disclosures of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to systems and methods for receiving bids frompassengers and boarding passengers based on those bids. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to receiving bids frompassengers—such as airline passengers—seeking to travel standby orwilling to be “bumped” from their reserved seat and selecting whichpassengers to board based on those bids.

BACKGROUND

Airlines and other transportation carriers generally seek to maximizethe number of passengers on each flight. Empty seats can represent lostrevenue, and the marginal cost incurred by an airline by boarding anextra passenger is relatively small. Thus, minimizing the number ofempty seats on a flight can maximize the profit for the airline.

Because of the lost revenue associated with empty seats on a givenflight, airlines generally sell a greater number of tickets for a flightthan there are total seats. The airlines assume that at least a portionof the tickets will go unused, and therefore overselling can help theairline minimize the number of empty seats on each flight.

Except in the rare case where an airline will successfully oversell aflight by the precisely correct number of seats, as flights approachtheir departure time there are generally either too many or too fewpassengers ready to board the flight. For example, if the airlineoversold the flight, and in doing so, overestimated the number ofpassengers that would cancel their reservation, the flight is consideredoverbooked or oversold. In such cases, certain passengers, even thoughthey may have boarding passes for the flight, may be asked to give uptheir seats on the flight and board a different flight to theirdestination, otherwise known as “bumping” the passenger from theiroriginal flight.

In other cases, flights may be underbooked or undersold. This may bebecause the airline oversold the flight but underestimated the number ofpassengers that would cancel their reservation. Alternatively, theairline may not have oversold the flight in the first place. Regardlessof the reason, when a given flight is undersold, the airline may allowother passengers to board the flight, even if they did not have a ticketfor the flight. Often times, these so-called passengers may have aticket for a later flight to the same destination on the same airline,but have arrived in time to catch the earlier flight and seek to flystandby on the earlier flight. These standby passengers can board theearlier flight and give up their seat on the later flight. This can beadvantageous to the airline because it reduces the number of empty seatson the earlier flight, and allows the airline additional time to replacethe passenger's seat on the later flight.

Conventional policies for boarding standby passengers on undersoldflights and “bumping” passengers from oversold flights can vary. Forexample, conventional airlines often charge a fee to standby passengers,in an attempt to capture extra revenue from passengers seeking to changetheir flight. Conversely, when determining which passengers to bump fromoversold flights, airlines often provide a voucher or other financialincentive to passengers willing to give up their seats in exchange forseats on a later flight.

These conventional policies and methods for charging fees to standbypassengers and providing financial incentives to those passengerswilling to give up their seats both pose certain problems for airlines.For example, airlines charging fees for standby passengers oftenstruggle to determine the optimal standby fee. They often must useprinciples of supply and demand to set a fee sufficiently high togenerate significant revenue, but not so high to deter a significantnumber of passengers from flying standby. This optimal fee can bedifficult to estimate, and any fee other than the optimal fee can resultin lost profits. Furthermore, setting one optimal—or even nearoptimal—fee for all flights can be impossible, given that differentflights of an airline may have vastly different passenger demands basedon a variety of factors such as the routes, time of year, and time ofdeparture for the flight.

With respect to incentivizing passengers willing to be bumped from theirflights, airline policies generally involve offering a certain incentiveto passengers to exchange their seat for a later flight, and repeatedlyincreasing the incentive until a sufficient number of passengers havegiven up their seats. According to conventional airline policies, allbumped passengers may receive the identical incentives, equal to thelatest (and highest) amount offered by the airline. Thus, under theconventional model, some passengers may receive a greater financialincentive than what they would be willing to accept to give up theirseats, thus representing an extra cost to the airline.

Another deficiency with the conventional model for providing financialincentives to bumped passengers is that the airline generally announcesthe type and amount of financial incentive and the number of seats bywhich the flight has been oversold. This often occurs at the departuregate for the flight, with willing passengers approaching the airlinestaff to accept a given financial incentive. This model can allowpassengers to see how many seats are needed, and how many passengershave given up their seats. Passengers thus can try to “game” the system,by waiting for the incentive to increase until it seems that almostenough passengers have given up their seats before giving up theirs,even if they would have been willing to take a lower financial incentiveto do so. This behavior, allowed by the conventional model, also canresult in increased cost to the airline.

Thus, a need in the art exists for a system and method for determiningwhich standby passengers to board an undersold flight and fordetermining which passengers to bump from an oversold flight that lacksthe deficiencies associated with conventional models. Specifically, aneed in the art exists for a method for determining which standbypassengers to board a flight that reduces or eliminates the need for anairline to determine a set standby fee to charge passengers. A need inthe art also exists for a method for determining which standbypassengers to board a flight that increases the airline's profits byaccounting for the different supply and demand for standby seats ondifferent flights. Another need in the art exists for a method fordetermining which passengers to bump from an oversold flight thatreduces the extra costs to the airline associated with providing eachbumped passenger with the same financial incentive. Yet another need inthe art exists for a method for determining which passengers to bumpfrom an oversold flight that reduces the costs associated withpassengers knowing the financial incentives that other passengers arewilling to accept to be bumped from the flight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention described herein can provide a system and method forseating passengers on oversold and undersold flights or othertransportation that address the deficiencies in the prior art.Specifically, the inventions can receive bids from ticketed or potentialpassengers, and determine which of those passengers to board on a flightbased on those bids.

In one aspect, the invention can provide a system and method forreceiving bids from passengers seeking to fly standby on an undersoldflight, and determining which of those passengers to board on theflight. After determining that a flight has been undersold (i.e., thatempty seats would remain after boarding all ticketed passengers), theairline can announce to standby passengers that seats are available onthe flight. The airline can invite interested standby passengers tosubmit a bid, representing the amount of money that the passengers wouldbe willing to pay to be seated on the flight.

After receiving bids from the standby passengers, the airline candetermine how many seats are available on the flight. The airline thencan select the highest bid, board the passenger who submitted thehighest bid, and continue boarding passengers in descending order of thebid they submitted until the flight is full. For example, if there areforty total seats on a flight and there are thirty ticketed passengers,the airline can board the standby passengers who submitted the tenhighest bids.

Boarding standby passengers according to the bids they submitted canincrease the revenue and/or profits to the airline when compared toconventional systems and methods. By allowing each standby passenger tosubmit a bid, the need for the airline to set a predetermined standbyfee is removed. Such a system therefore can reduce or remove theproblems of setting a standby fee too low (thereby forgoing revenue onhigh demand flights where passengers would be willing to pay more thanthe standby fee) or too high (thereby forgoing revenue on lower demandflights where passengers would be willing to pay less than the standbyfee). Receiving bids from the passengers can automatically adjust thestandby fees charged to the passengers for the relative supply anddemand for a given flight. Only the highest bidding passengers willobtain seats on high demand flights. Conversely, on lower demand flightswhere many seats are available, more seats may be filled with standbypassengers as long as they are willing to bid on the seats, even if somepassengers bid less than a conventional airline's standby fee.

In another aspect, the invention can provide a system and method forreceiving bids from ticketed passengers on an oversold flight, anddetermining which of those passengers to move or bump from the flightbased on the passengers' bids. After determining that an airline'sflight is oversold, the airline can announce to the passengers of theflight that it is oversold, and that passengers may volunteer to bebumped from the flight. The airline can invite interested passengers tosubmit a bid, representing the incentive that the passenger would acceptto be bumped from the flight. The bids received by the passengers caninclude a monetary reward, such as a cash payment or a voucher to use onfuture travel for the airline. The bid also can include a request for areplacement seat on a specific later flight to the passenger'sdestination.

After receiving the bids from the passengers, the airline can determinehow many passengers it needs to bump from the flight by subtracting thetotal number of seats on the flight from the number of ticketedpassengers for the flight. The airline then can sort the bids accordingto the value of the bids. The airline then can select the lowest bid,bump the passenger who submitted the lowest bid, and provide theappropriate incentive to the bumped passenger. Providing the incentiveto the bumped passenger can include paying the passenger the value ofthe passenger's bid, as well as providing a confirmed ticket and/orboarding pass for the specific later flight selected by the passenger.The airline then can continue bumping passengers and providingappropriate incentives to the bumped passengers in ascending order ofthe bid they submitted until a sufficient number of passengers have beenbumped from the flight.

Bumping passengers according to the bids they submitted can reduce thecosts and/or increase the profits to the airline when compared toconventional systems and methods. By allowing ticketed passengers tosubmit a bid corresponding to the incentive they would accept to bebumped from the oversold flight, the need for the airline to announce aincentive and gradually increase the incentive until a sufficient numberof passengers have been bumped is removed. Such a system therefore canreduce or remove the problem of rewarding an identical incentive to allbumped passenger, and instead can provide each passenger the minimumincentive that the passenger is willing to accept.

Bids from ticketed passengers willing to be bumped from a flight, aswell as bids from standby passengers seeking to board a flight, can bereceived by the airline in secret, such that passengers may not be awareof other passenger's bids. Additionally, when an airline announces tothe passengers that seats are available for standby bidding, the airlinemay not announce to the passengers the number of seats standby seatsavailable. Similarly, when an airline announces that a flight isoversold, the airline may not announce to the number of passengers thatneed to be bumped from the flight. By not announcing the number of seatsin these situations, passengers may be more likely to submit an accuratebid, rather than hoping to “game” the system. For example, if apassenger seeking to fly standby knows that the desired flight has arelatively large number of seats available, the passenger may submit abid lower than what the passenger is truly willing to pay, hoping thatthe passenger would nonetheless be able to secure one of the availableseats. Similarly, if a passenger on an oversold flight knows that theairline needs to bump a relatively large number of passengers from theflight, the passenger may submit a bid higher than what the passenger istruly willing to accept. If the same passenger did not know the numberof seats available, the passenger may be more inclined to submit thetrue bid, to improve the chances of obtaining a seat.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description of theexemplary embodiments, read in conjunction with, and reference to, theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system for receiving bids frompassengers seeking to fly standby on an undersold flight and frompassengers willing to be bumped from an oversold flight, according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting a method for selecting passengers toboard a flight, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting a method for checking the availabilityof seats on a flight, according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting a method for determining which standbypassengers to add to a flight based on standby bids, according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a method for receiving a standby bidfor a passenger seeking to fly standby on a flight, according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting a method for determining whichpassengers to bump from a flight based on bump bids, according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The invention enables airlines or other transportation providers toreceive bids from ticketed or standby passengers, and to use those bidsto determine which passengers to board on an oversold or undersoldflight (or other similar transportation vehicles). A method and systemfor receiving bids from passengers and determining which passengers toboard a flight will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-6, whichdepict representative or illustrative embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting components of a system 100 for receivingbids from passengers 102, 103B according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention. The exemplary system 100 depicted in FIG. 1 includes anairline 118 with two exemplary flights: an oversold flight 106A and anundersold flight 106B. Each flight 106A, 106B includes a number of totalseats 104A, 104B, and a number of passengers 102A, 102B with a confirmedseat or checked in for the flights 106A, 106B. In the oversold flight106A, the number of passengers 102A exceeds the number of seats 104A onthe flight 106A. In the undersold flight 106B, the number of seats 104Bexceeds the number of passengers 102B. FIG. 1 additionally depicts astandby list 108 including standby passengers 103B desiring to board theundersold flight 106B.

The exemplary system 100 further depicts communication of a bump bid 110from passengers 102A on the oversold flight 106A to the airline 118, andcommunication of a standby bid 114 from the passengers 103B on thestandby list 108 to the airline 118. FIG. 1 further depicts incentives112 being provided to certain passengers 102A on the first flight 106Aand standby boarding passes 116 being provided to certain passengers103B on the standby list 108 for the second flight 106B. In accordancewith exemplary embodiments, a portion of the passengers 102A on theoversold flight 106A may be bumped from the flight 106A, and a portionof the passengers 103B on the standby list 108 may be allowed to boardthe undersold flight 106B. The airline 118 can determine whichpassengers 102A to bump and which standby passengers 103B to board basedon bump bids 110 and standby bids 114, respectively, received from thepassengers 102A, 103B. The elements depicted in FIG. 1 will be discussedin more detail with reference to the methods illustrated in FIGS. 2-6.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting a method 200 for selecting passengers102, 103B to board a flight 106, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention. In step 205, the airline 118 sells tickets to the flight106. The airline 118 can sell tickets to the flight 106 according tovarious exemplary methods known to one of ordinary skill in the arthaving the benefit of the present disclosure. For example, the airline118 can sell tickets to the flight 106 via the Internet, such as throughthe airline's 118 website. Alternatively, or additionally, the airline118 can sell tickets to the flight 106 at kiosks, over the phone, in ornear an airport, or at a physical office of the airline 118.

Regardless of the particular method for selling tickets, the ticketssold by the airline 118 can be electronic or physical. Additionally, theairline 118 can sell tickets to the flight 106 according to differentfares or fare classes. For example, the airline 118 can sell bothrefundable and non-refundable tickets to the flight 106, with refundabletickets being more expensive. Additionally, the fare class of theticket, and therefore the price of the ticket, may vary based on thetime the ticket is purchased. For example, tickets may get moreexpensive as the date of the flight 106 approaches.

In step 210, the airline 118 issues boarding passes to passengers 102checking in for the flight 106. These passengers 102 can be thosepassengers 102 who purchased tickets to the flight 106 in step 205. Invarious exemplary embodiments, the passengers 102 can check in for theflight 106 according to a variety of methods. These methods can includechecking in on the airline's 118 website, at a kiosk at the airport, orwith an airline 118 employee at a ticket counter.

In step 215, the airline 118 checks the availability of seats 104 on theflight 106. Checking the availability of seats 104 can include acomparison of the number of total seats 104 on the flight 106 and thenumber of passengers 102 who have checked in for the flight 106. Step215 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.

In step 220, the airline 118 determines whether the flight 106 isoversold or undersold. In an exemplary embodiment, this determinationcan be based upon the availability of seats 104 determined in step 215.Thus, if the airline 118 determines that the flight 106B is undersold(i.e., that the number of passengers 102 checked in is less than thenumber of seats 104 on the flight 106B), the method 200 branches to step225, where the airline 118 determines which standby passengers 103B toadd to the flight 106B based on standby bids 114. However, if theairline 118 determines that the flight 106A is oversold, the method 200branches to step 235, where the airline 118 determines which ticketedpassengers 102A to bump from the flight 106A based on bump bids 110.FIG. 1 depicts an oversold flight 106A and an undersold flight 106B. Ifthe airline 118 determines that the flight 106 is neither oversold norundersold (i.e., that the number of passengers 102 checked in is equalto the number of seats 104 on the flight 106), then the method 200branches to step 245, where the airline 118 boards passengers 102 withboarding passes.

In step 225, the airline 118 determines which standby passengers 103B toadd to the flight 106B based on standby bids 114. In an exemplaryembodiment, this determination can include receiving standby bids 114from standby passengers 103B, and determining which standby passengers103B to add to the flight 106B based on those standby bids 114. In anexemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the airline 118 can maintain astandby list 108 of passengers 103B seeking to fly standby on the flight106B.

In one embodiment, all available seats 104B can be assigned to standbypassengers 103B based at least in part upon the standby bids 114. In analternative embodiment, a portion of available seats 104B can beassigned to standby passengers 103B at least in part upon the standbybids 114, and the remainder of the available seats 104B can be assignedto standby passengers 103B by other methods, such as conventionalmethods or other methods known to one of ordinary skill in the arthaving the benefit of the present disclosure. Step 225 will be describedin more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

In step 230, the airline 118 issues standby boarding passes 116 to thestandby passengers 103B added to the flight 106B in step 225. In anexemplary embodiment, the standby boarding passes 116 issued to standbypassengers 103B in step 230 can be equivalent to the boarding passesissued to ticketed passengers 102 in step 210, and therefore can entitlethe standby passengers 103B with standby boarding passes 116 to aconfirmed seat on the flight 106B. The method 200 then proceeds to step245, where the airline 118 boards all passengers 102 with boardingpasses, including those standby passengers 103B with standby boardingpasses 116.

In step 235, the airline 118 determines which ticketed passengers 102Ato bump from the flight 106A based on bump bids 110. In an exemplaryembodiment, this determination can include receiving bump bids 110 fromticketed passengers 102A, and determining which ticketed passengers 102Ato bump from the flight 106A based on those bump bids 110. In oneembodiment, as described previously with respect to step 225, all bumpedpassengers 102A can be selected by the airline 118 based at least inpart upon the bump bids 110. In an alternative embodiment, a portion ofthe bumped passengers 102A can be selected at least in part upon thebump bids 110, and the remainder of the bumped passengers 102A can beselected by other methods, such as conventional methods or other methodsknown to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of thepresent disclosure. Step 235 will be described in more detail withreference to FIG. 6.

In step 240, the airline 118 replaces the boarding passes for thepassengers 102A that the airline 118 determines to bump in step 235. Inan exemplary embodiment, replacing the boarding passes can includetaking the boarding pass from the bumped passenger 102A, and issuing anew boarding pass for a different flight 106 to the passenger 102A. Thereplacement boarding pass can be for a later flight 106 that wasselected by the passenger 102A when the passenger 102A submitted itsbump bid 110.

In step 245, the airline 118 boards all passengers 102, 103B withboarding passes for the flight 106. In an exemplary embodiment, wherethe flight 106A was oversold, the passengers 102 boarded on the flight106A can include all passengers 102A who checked in for the flight 106Ain step 210 whom the airline 118 did not bump from the flight 106A instep 235. In another exemplary embodiment, where the flight 106B wasundersold, the passengers 102 boarded on the flight 106B can include allpassengers 102B who checked in for the flight 106B in step 210, as wellas those standby passengers 103B who obtained standby boarding passes116 in step 230. After the passengers 102, 103B are boarded in step 245,the method 200 ends.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting a method 215 for checking theavailability of seats 104 on a flight 106, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention. In step 305, the total number of seats 104on the flight 106 are counted. In one embodiment, the total number ofseats 104 can be broken down by various sections. For example, theairline 118 can count the total number of first class, business class,and coach class seats 104 separately. In another embodiment, the airline118 may store data for its airplane flights 106 that track the totalnumber of seats 104 on a given flight 106. Thus, instead of explicitlycounting the total seats 104, the total number of seats 104—whether ornot broken down by class—can be retrieved from stored data.

In step 310, the number of passengers 102 that have checked in for aflight 106 are counted. In exemplary embodiments, the airline 118 cancount the number of passengers 102 that have checked in for the flight106 at various different times. For example, the airline 118 can countthe number of checked-in passengers 102 a fixed amount of time beforethe flight 106 is scheduled to depart. In an exemplary embodiment, theairline 118 can count the number of checked-in passengers 102 multipletimes, or alternatively, the airline 118 can use a server, computer, orother information processing unit to count the number of checked-inpassengers 102 continuously. Additionally, as with counting the totalnumber of seats 104 in step 305, the airline 118 count the number ofchecked-in passengers 102 separately by seat class. The method 215 thenreturns to step 220, as described previously with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting a method 225 for determining whichstandby passengers 103B to add to a flight 106B based on standby bids114, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In step 405,the airline 118 receives the standby bids 114 for each passenger 103Battempting to fly standby on the flight 106B. In an alternativeembodiment, as described previously, the airline 118 may receive standbybids 114 from only a portion of those passengers 103B attempting to flystandby on the flight 106B, as the airline 118 may only seat a portionof the standby passengers 103B according to a standby bid 114, and useother methods for determining which other passengers (not shown) toseat.

The set of passengers 103B that are seeking to fly standby on a givenflight 106B can be determined by a variety of methods. Regardless of themethod or methods used to determine the passengers 103B seeking to flystandby, the identity of the passengers 103B can be maintained on astandby list 108. The standby list 108 can be stored in a database thatalso stores a corresponding standby bid 114 for each passenger 103B onthe standby list 108.

In certain embodiments, some standby passengers 103B may be traveling ingroups, such as a family. In such cases, the group of passengers 103Bmay submit the same bid for each passenger 103B in the group.Alternatively, the group may submit one bid for the entire group ofpassengers 103B, in which case the airline 118, after receiving the bid,can divide the bid by the number of passengers 103B in the group so thatthe airline 118 can compare the bid to other bids received fromindividual passengers 103B. Additionally, a group of passengers 103B canindicate whether the group would be willing to travel even if they couldnot be seated together on the flight 106B. Step 405 will be described inmore detail with reference to FIG. 5.

In step 410, the standby bid 114 received by each passenger 103B can beadjusted based on additional factors. In exemplary embodiments, avariety of additional factors can be used to adjust the standby bid 114received by each passenger 103B in step 405. In one embodiment, theairline 118 can adjust a standby bid 114 entered by a passenger 103Bbased on the fare class of the passenger's 103B ticket. For example, ifa passenger 103B purchased a full fare ticket rather than a discountedticket, the passenger's 103B standby bid 114 may be increased by acertain percentage (e.g., 10%) or amount (e.g., $50). The increase inthe bid need not affect the actual amount the passenger 103B would payfor the standby seat 104B if the passenger's 103B bid is eventuallyaccepted. Rather, the increase in the bid can be an adjustment made bythe airline 118 to provide a benefit to passengers 103B who pay for fullfare tickets instead of discounted tickets.

Another factor that can be used to adjust a passenger's 103B bid is thefrequent flier status of the passenger 103B. Many airlines 118 offerfrequent flier programs to reward those passengers 102, 103B whorepeatedly travel with the airline 118 or its partners. Some airlines118 further provide different tiers of frequent flier status, such asproviding a first level for occasional travelers, a second level forthose traveling at an intermediate frequency, and a third level forthose that travel very regularly. Thus, in one embodiment, an airline118 can adjust a passenger's 103B bid based on the passenger's 103Bstatus at a frequent flier, and the particular level of frequent flierstatus. For example, the bid of an occasional traveler who participatesin an airline's 118 frequent flier program can be increased by a certainsmall percentage (e.g., 5%), while bids of intermediate and very regulartravelers can be increased by greater percentages (e.g., 15% and 25%,respectively).

In another embodiment, the airline 118 can offer passengers 103B anoption to pay a fee in advance in exchange for increasing their standbybid 114 by a given percentage, should the passenger 103B later attemptto fly standby. For example, an airline's 118 website that allowspassengers 103B to purchase tickets on-line can include such an optionduring the purchasing process for passengers 103B. The same or similaroptions can be offered to a passenger 103B during the purchasingprocess—or at a different time—regardless of the purchasing method(e.g., kiosks, in-person, over the telephone) used. In a particularembodiment, an airline 118 can offer the passenger 103B the option topay a variety of fees in exchange for increasing their standby bid 114by a corresponding variety of amounts in the event the passenger 103Beventually seeks to exchange the seat 104 on the ticketed flight 106 tofly standby on a different flight 106B. For example, the airline 118 canoffer the passenger 103B the option of paying an extra $10.00, $25.00,or $50.00 in return for increasing the passenger's 103B bid by 10%, 25%,or 50% respectively, in the event the passenger 103B submits a standbybid 114 for one or more flights 106B.

In another embodiment, the airline 118 can offer the passenger 103B theoption to pay a one-time or recurring fee to increase all standby bids114 the passenger 103B submits over a given time period. For example,the airline 118 can offer passengers 103B the option to pay a $100 feein exchange for increasing the passenger's 103B standby fee by a fixedpercentage for a one-year period.

In yet another embodiment, an airline 118 can adjust the standby bid 114of a passenger 103B if the passenger 103B is seeking to fly standby on aflight 106B because the flight 106 for which the passenger 103B wasticketed was canceled by the airline 118, or if the passenger 103Bmissed the ticketed flight 106 due to a late connecting flight 106.Additionally, an airline 118 can adjust the standby bid 114 based on howlong the passenger 103B has been attempting to board a standby flight106B, whether in terms of the amount of time or in terms of the numberof flights 106B on which the passenger 103B has attempted to flystandby.

In various other embodiments, a variety of behaviors that the airline118 seeks to encourage can lead to an increase in a passenger's 103Bbid. For example, an airline 118 can increase a standby bid 114 for apassenger 103B who purchased a ticket far in advance of the flight 106.Similarly, an airline 118 can increase a standby bid 114 for a passenger103B who does not have check-in baggage, or alternatively, carry-onbaggage. Other additional factors that can be used to adjust a standbybid 114, including those based on behaviors that the airline 118 maywant to encourage, can be determined by one of ordinary skill in the arthaving the benefit of the present disclosure.

Additionally, although each of the foregoing examples for adjusting astandby bid 114 relate to increasing the bid, decreasing a bid underreverse circumstances (e.g., decreasing a bid for purchasing adiscounted ticket) is also possible. However, given that the standbybids 114 may be adjusted only internally to help the airline 118organize the list 108 of standby passengers 103B, rather than the actualstandby bids 114 that the standby passengers 103B would pay beingaffected, decreasing the bids instead of increasing them may not haveany practical effect.

Moreover, the airline 118 can determine whether or not to indicate tothe passenger 103B the “adjusted” value of the passenger's 103B standbybid 114. In one embodiment, the airline 118 may determine that providingthe adjusted value of the standby bid 114 to the passenger 103B canallow passengers 103B to submit a well informed bid, and thereforechoose to provide this information. Alternatively, the airline 118 maybelieve that providing the adjusted value of the standby bid 114 to thepassenger 103B may prevent the passenger 103B from entering the maximumvalue that the passenger 103B would be willing to pay, and thereforedecline to provide this information.

In step 415, a number N corresponding to the number of available seats104B on the flight 106B is determined. This can be accomplished bysubtracting the number of checked-in passengers 102 from the totalnumber of seats 104 on the flight 106B. In an exemplary embodiment,different flight classes (e.g., first, business, and coach) can have aseparate corresponding number N, and as such, the bidding process andseating process for standby passengers 103B can be performed separatelyby flight class.

In step 420, the N-highest standby bids 114 are identified. In anexemplary embodiment, the N-highest bids can be identified based on thevalues for the bids as adjusted in step 410. Identifying the N-highestbids can include sorting all bids received by the airline 118 indescending order, selecting the highest bid, and then continuing toselect each next highest bid until N bids have been selected.

In an exemplary embodiment, the airline 118 can take into account groupstraveling standby together in identifying the N-highest bids. Forexample, if there are five available seats 104B (i.e., N=5), and the twohighest bidders have been identified so only three seats 104B areavailable, a family of four passengers 103B each having the next highestbid may not be identified as the next highest bidders, since there arenot sufficient seats for all members of the family. Then, an individualpassenger 103B (or smaller group of passengers 103B) with the nexthighest bid after the family's bid can be identified. In an alternativeembodiment, a family or other group in such a position can indicatewhether a subset of the family or group is willing to board the flight106B.

In step 425, the standby passengers 103B with the N-highest bids (i.e.,those passengers 103B identified in step 420) are notified that they mayboard the flight 106B. In exemplary embodiments, these passengers 103Bcan be informed via an audio and/or video announcement that they havebeen selected to board the flight 106B.

In step 430, the standby passengers 103B notified in step 425 arecharged an amount equal to their standby bid 114. As describedpreviously, the amount charged may not be the adjusted standby bid 114determined in step 410, but rather the standby bid 114 received by theairline 118 in step 405. In an exemplary embodiment, the notifiedpassengers 103B can provide a credit card or other form of payment tothe airline 118 to pay for their standby bids 114 after they arenotified of their selection. In an alternative embodiment, passengers103B can provide a credit card or other form of payment to the airline118 when they submit their standby bids 114, and then the airline 118can charge the credit card only if and when their standby bids 114 areselected. In yet another embodiment, the airline 118 can charge a creditcard that the passenger 103B originally used to purchase the ticket forthe flight 106B to pay for the standby bid 114.

In step 435, the airline 118 notifies the remaining standby passengers103B (i.e., those that were not notified in step 425) that they will notboard the flight 106B. These passengers 103B may not be charged by theairline 118. In one embodiment, these passengers 103B can beautomatically transferred to the standby list 108 for the next flight106 to the same destination. In a particular embodiment, the standbybids 114 for each of these passengers 103B that were received by theairline 118 in step 405 also can be transferred to the next flight's 106standby list 108. In an alternative embodiment, these passengers 103Bcan be given the opportunity to enter a new standby bid 114 for the newflight 106B. After step 435, the method 225 proceeds to step 230, asreferenced in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a method 405 for receiving a standbybid 114 for a passenger 103B seeking to fly standby on a flight 106B,according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In step 505, themethod 405 determines whether the passenger 103B has already checked infor the passenger's 103B booked flight 106. The booked flight 106 canrefer any flight 106 for which the passenger 103B has a confirmed seat104, ticket, or boarding pass. If the passenger 103B has already checkedin, the method 405 branches to step 510. If the passenger 103B has notalready checked in, then the method 405 branches to step 520. In analternative embodiment, the passenger 103B seeking to fly standby on aflight 106B may not already have a confirmed seat 104, ticket, orboarding pass for a given flight 106. For example, an airline 118 canhave a policy or promotion that allows certain passengers 103B to flystandby without having a confirmed seat 104. In such an embodiment, themethod 405 can proceed directly to step 525, where the passenger 103B isprompted to select the desired standby flight 106B.

In step 510, the passenger 103B is checked in for the booked flight 106.Various methods exist for checking in a passenger 103B for a flight 106.Passengers 103B can be checked in, for example, via the airline's 118website, via a kiosk, or in person at a ticket counter. Other suitablemethods of checking in passengers 103B can be used as well.

In step 515, a boarding pass is issued to the passenger 103B. Theboarding pass can correspond to the flight 106 for which the passenger103B checked in during step 510. In an exemplary embodiment, once aboarding pass is issued to a passenger 103B in step 515, the airline 118can update its count of checked-in passengers 103B and available seats104 as described previously with reference to step 215. The method 405then proceeds to step 520.

In step 520, the method 405 determines whether a passenger 103B wants tofly standby on a different flight 106B (i.e., a flight 106B other thanthe one for which the passenger 103B has checked in). If the passenger103B wants to fly standby on a different flight 106B, the method 405branches to step 525. Otherwise, the method 405 proceeds to step 410, asreferenced in FIG. 4.

In various embodiments, the passenger 103B can indicate a desire to flystandby on a different flight 106B in a variety of ways. For example,the passenger 103B can use the airline's 118 website to indicate adesire to fly standby on another flight 106B. Alternatively, thepassenger 103B can use a kiosk at the airport, or indicate to an airline118 employee—whether at a ticket counter, or to an employee at thedeparture gate for the desired standby flight 106B—that the passenger103B would like to be added to a standby list 108 for a different flight106B.

In an alternative embodiment, the airline 118 can determine whether apassenger 103B wants to fly standby before the passenger 103B haschecked in for a flight 106, or during the check-in process. Forexample, in one embodiment, a passenger 103B can check in for a flight106 using the airline's 118 website or an airline 118 kiosk, and duringthe check-in process, the passenger 103B can be prompted to indicatewhether the passenger 103B wants to be added to the standby list 108 fora given flight 106B.

In step 525, the passenger 103B is prompted to select the desiredstandby flight 106B. In one embodiment, the passenger 103B can beprompted to enter this selection immediately after indicating a desireto fly standby. Additionally, to facilitate the passenger's 103B entryof this selection, the airline 118 can provide to the passenger 103B alist of flights 106 to the passenger's 103B desired destination. Such alist can include only those flights 106B where there is at least oneseat 104B available. Then, in step 530, the passenger's 103B selectionof the desired standby flight 106B is received by the airline 118.

In step 535, the passenger 103B is prompted to enter a standby bid 114.The standby bid 114 can represent the maximum amount that the passenger103B is willing to pay to be able to fly on the desired flight 106B. Inone embodiment, the passenger 103B can be prompted to enter thisselection immediately after selecting the desired standby flight 106B instep 525. Then, in step 540, the passenger's 103B entry of the standbybid 114 is received by the airline 118.

The steps 520 through 535 can be performed in a variety of ways and byutilizing a variety of interfaces. Additionally, the steps can beperformed at a variety of times—such as during the check-in process, orafter the check-in process. For example, in some embodiments, where thepassenger 103B checks in for a ticketed flight 106 using the airline's118 website or kiosk, the airline 118 can perform steps 520 through 535using the website or kiosk.

Alternatively, where the airline 118 performs steps 520 through 535after the check-in process, the airline 118 can provide a separatewebsite interface or kiosk for interfacing with the passenger 103B. Anexemplary kiosk can be located at or near the departure gate for eachflight 106. Additionally, an exemplary website interface for interactingwith a passenger 103B in performing steps 520 through 535 can bespecially configured for mobile or handheld Internet devices. Thus,passengers 103B who have already checked in for a flight 106, and may beseated in an airport terminal near the departure gate for another flight106B on which they may desire to fly standby can use a mobile Internetdevice to access the airline's 118 website, which can receive apassenger's 103B indication of a desire to fly standby on a particularflight 106B, as well as the passenger's 103B standby bid 114 for theflight 106B.

In another embodiment, the airline 118 can provide an interface with apassenger 103B for performing steps 520 through 535 via electronic mail,text messaging, or other similar messaging interface. For example, apassenger 103B can send an email or text message to a specific addressthat includes information that can allow the airline 118 to performsteps 520 through 535. In an exemplary embodiment, a passenger 103B cansend an email or text message to an address provided by the airline 118that indicates the desired flight 106B and the passenger's 103B standbybid 114 for the flight 106B. In one embodiment, the message also caninclude an identification of the passenger 103B, such as the passenger's103B ticket number or confirmation number. Alternatively, theidentification of the passenger 103B can include the telephone number oremail address from which the passenger 103B sent the message. If thepassenger 103B is part of a family or group, as described previously,the passenger's 103B message can include an identification of the otherpassengers 103B within the group, as well as an indication of whetherthe group is willing to fly without sitting next to each other. Otherinterfaces for interacting with a passenger 103B in performing steps 520through 535, such as an automated telephone system, may be recognized byone of ordinary skill in the art and can be utilized as appropriate.Additionally, an airline 118 can utilize a combination of two or more ofthe foregoing interfaces to perform steps 520 through 535.

Regardless of the interfaces used by the airline 118 to perform steps520 through 535, the airline 118 can choose the amount of informationregarding the standby list 108 to share with passengers 103B seeking tofly standby on a given flight 106B. For example, the airline 118 canannounce the number of available seats 104B on a flight 106B topassengers 103B within proximity of the flight's 106B departure gate.For flights 106B on which only a few seats 104B are available, providingsuch information may encourage passengers 103B to enter a high bid toimprove their chances of securing a seat 104B on the flight 106B.Alternatively, especially in cases where there may be many availableseats 104B on a fight, the airline 118 may not share the number ofavailable seats 104B with potential passengers 103B, because suchinformation may encourage passengers 103B to enter a lower standby bid114 than they would truly be willing to spend to board the flight 106B.

Additionally, the airline 118 can choose to keep all passengers' 103Bbids hidden from other passengers 103B. Not sharing this informationalso can encourage passengers 103B to enter a standby bid 114 equal tothe maximum amount they are willing to spend, rather than entering astandby bid 114 minimally above another passenger's 103B standby bid114. Alternatively, if the airline 118 believes that sharing passengers'103B bids with other passengers 103B may increase competitive biddingbetween passengers 103B, thereby driving standby bids 114 upward, theairline 118 can display (or otherwise provide to passengers 103B) a listof the top passengers' 103B standby bids 114 to other passengers 103B.

Moreover, the airline 118 also can choose whether to allow passengers103B to submit only one standby bid 114, or instead, to allow passengers103B to edit or adjust the standby bid 114, or to submit a subsequentstandby bid 114. In one embodiment, the airline 118 can permitpassengers 103B only to submit one standby bid 114 per flight 106B. Thiscan encourage passengers 103B to submit their true, maximum standby bid114, rather than to attempt to enter a lower bid with hopes ofincreasing the standby bid 114 should the passenger 103B later receivemore information (such as learning that the flight 106B is nearly full)that suggests it may be difficult to receive a seat 104B on the flight106B with a low standby bid 114.

In step 545, the passenger 103B and the passenger's 103B standby bid 114are added to the standby list 108 for the desired flight 106B. Afterstep 545, the method 405 proceeds to step 410, as referenced in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting a method 235 for determining whichpassengers 102A to bump from a flight 106A based on bump bids 110,according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In step 605, thepassengers 102A are prompted to enter a bump bid 110. In exemplaryembodiments, the airline 118 can prompt passengers 102A to enter a bumpbid 110 in a variety of ways. In one embodiment, the airline 118 canprompt passengers 102A by announcing (whether via an audio announcement,a video display, or other means) that the flight 106A has been oversold,and that any passengers 102A that have boarding passes or confirmedseats 104A on the flight 106A that are willing to be bumped from theflight 106A and instead board a later replacement flight 106 can submita bump bid 110.

The bump bid 110 submitted by the passengers 102A can include a desiredincentive 112 representing what each passenger 102A would be willing toaccept in exchange for being bumped from the flight 106A. In oneembodiment, the bump bid 110 can include the amount of money that thepassenger 102A would be willing to accept. The amount of money can be inthe form of a cash payment or an airline 118 voucher. In anotherembodiment, the bump bid 110 can include a number of frequent fliermiles—or other non-monetary incentives 112—that would be added to thepassenger's 102A account in exchange for being bumped from the flight106A. In yet another embodiment, the bump bid 110 can include an offerto be bumped from the flight 106A in exchange for receiving an upgradeto another flight class (e.g., first class) on the passenger's 102Areplacement flight 106.

Moreover, the bump bid 110 submitted by any passenger 102A can include acombination of one or more types of desired incentives 112. An exemplarybump bid 110 thus can include a monetary incentive 112, a request forfrequent flier miles, and a request for a class upgrade on a replacementflight 106.

In one embodiment, the bump bids 110 can specify a particular incentive112, and the bumped passengers 102A can be bumped to a replacementflight 106, such as the next flight 106 to the same destination. Inanother embodiment, the bump bids 110 can specify, along with thedesired incentive 112, the desired replacement flight 106.

In step 610, the bump bids 110 the passengers 102A entered in step 605are received. In an exemplary embodiment, after receiving thepassengers' 102A bump bids 110, the airline 118 can standardize the bumpbid 110 values. In other words, the airline 118 can determine the costassociated with providing each incentive 112 requested by thepassengers' 102A bump bids 110. For example, the airline 118 candetermine that a bump bid 110 that includes a request for 5,000 frequentflier miles can cost $150 to the airline 118, while a bump bid thatincludes a request for a $175 airline voucher can cost the airline 118only $140. Similarly, the airline 118 can determine that seating abumped passenger 102A on a popular replacement flight 106 may cost theairline 118 more than seating a bumped passenger 102A on a less popularflight 106. Thus, the particular replacement flight 106 selected by thepassenger 102A also can affect the airline's 118 cost calculation andstandardization. In one embodiment, the airline 118 can utilize acomputer program or database that estimates or calculates the cost ofeach bump bid 110 (including the incentive 112 and the replacementflight 106) received from a passenger 102A.

In step 615, each passenger's 102A bump bid 110 is adjusted based onadditional factors. As described previously with respect to adjustingstandby bids 114 with reference to step 410 of FIG. 4, the airline 118can use a variety of additional factors to adjust the bump bids 110. Invarious embodiments, the airline 118 can adjust bump bids 110—such as bydecreasing the value of the bump bids 110—based on the fare class of thepassenger's 102A ticket, the passenger's 102A frequent flier status,whether the passenger 102A has paid a one-time or recurring fee inreturn for having the bump bid 110 adjusted, or any other suitablefactor. As described previously with reference to adjusting standby bids114, the adjustment of the bump bids 110 may not affect the amount ortype of the incentive 112 that the passenger 102A will actually receiveif the passenger's 102A bump bid 110 is accepted. Rather, the adjustmentmay affect only how the passenger's 102A bump bid 110 is compared toother passenger's 102A bump bids 110.

In step 620, a number N corresponding to the number of needed seats 104Aon the flight 106A is determined. This can be accomplished bysubtracting the total number of seats 104A on the flight 106A from thenumber of checked-in passengers 102A.

In step 625, the N-lowest bump bids 110 are identified. In an exemplaryembodiment, the N-lowest bump bids 110 can be identified based on thevalues for the bids as standardized, and then adjusted in step 615.Identifying the N-lowest bids can include sorting all bump bids 110received by the airline 118 in ascending order, selecting the lowestbid, and then continuing to select each next lowest bid until N bidshave been selected. As described previously with reference to standbybids 114, the airline 118 can take into account groups travelingtogether who submit bump bids 110. For example, if only three seats 104Aare needed on a flight 106A, and a four-person family has submitted thelowest bump bid 110, the airline 118 can skip over that family and moveto the next lowest bump bids 110. Alternatively, if the airline 118determines that the four-person family's bid is so much lower than thenext lowest bump bid 110 that the airline 118 would lose less revenue bypaying the incentives 112 to the four-person family than by bumpingthree individual passengers 102A, the airline 118 can bump thefour-person family and have an empty seat 104A. In a particularembodiment, the airline 118 then can fill the empty seat 104A with astandby passenger 103B, such as the standby passenger 103B with thehighest standby bid 114.

In step 630, the passengers 102A with the N-lowest bids (i.e., thepassengers 102A with the bump bids 110 identified in step 625) arenotified that their bump bids 110 have been accepted and that they havebeen bumped from the flight 106A. In exemplary embodiments, thesepassengers 102A can be informed via an audio and/or video announcementthat they have been bumped from the flight 106A.

In step 635, the passengers 102A notified in step 630 are provided withincentives 112 based on their bump bids 110. In an exemplary embodiment,the incentives 112 can be provided immediately, such as by crediting acash reward to a credit card or other electronic account associated withthe passenger 102A. If frequent flier miles or airline 118 vouchers areprovided as part of the incentive 112, then those incentives 112 can beadded to the passenger's frequent flier account with the airline 118.

After step 635, the method 235 returns to step 240.

The exemplary methods and steps described in the embodiments presentedpreviously are illustrative, and, in alternative embodiments, certainsteps can be performed in a different order, in parallel with oneanother, omitted entirely, and/or combined between different exemplarymethods, and/or certain additional steps can be performed, withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example,although the exemplary methods and steps disclosed herein largely relateto airline 118 flights, the invention can be similarly used with anymode of transportation. Additionally, the invention also can be used inother contexts beyond transportation, where tickets can be oversold orundersold, and where wait list, standby lists, or the like are used tofill remaining seats. Accordingly, such alternative embodiments areincluded in the invention described herein.

The invention can comprise a computer program that embodies thefunctions described herein and illustrated in the appended flow charts.However, it should be apparent that there could be many different waysof implementing the invention in computer programming, and the inventionshould not be construed as limited to any one set of computer programinstructions. Further, a skilled programmer would be able to write sucha computer program to implement an embodiment of the disclosed inventionbased on the flow charts and associated description in the applicationtext. Therefore, disclosure of a particular set of program codeinstructions is not considered necessary for an adequate understandingof how to make and use the invention.

The invention can be used with computer hardware and software thatperforms the methods and processing functions described above.Specifically, in describing the functions, methods, and/or steps thatthe airline 118 can perform in accordance with the invention, theairline 118 can accomplish any or all of these steps by using anautomated or computerized process. As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, the systems, methods, and procedures describedherein can be embodied in a programmable computer, computer executablesoftware, or digital circuitry. The software can be stored on computerreadable media. For example, computer readable media can include afloppy disk, RAM, ROM, hard disk, removable media, flash memory, memorystick, optical media, magneto-optical media, CD-ROM, etc. Digitalcircuitry can include integrated circuits, gate arrays, building blocklogic, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), etc.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described abovein detail, the description is merely for purposes of illustration.Various modifications of, and equivalent steps corresponding to, thedisclosed aspects of the exemplary embodiments, in addition to thosedescribed above, can be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention defined in thefollowing claims, the scope of which is to be accorded the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalentstructures.

1. A computer-implemented method for bumping passengers from atransportation vehicle comprising: receiving, with a computer, a bumpbid for each of a plurality of bump passengers having a ticket for thetransportation vehicle; and selecting, with a computer, at least onebump passenger to bump from the transportation vehicle based on the bumpbid of the at least one bump passenger.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising providing, with a computer, an incentive to the eachof the selected bump passengers, wherein the incentive provided to eachof the selected bump passengers is based on the bump bid of eachrespective selected bump passenger.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising determining, with a computer, a cost associated withproviding an incentive based on each received bump bid to eachrespective bump passenger.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein selectingthe at least one bump passenger to bump from the transportation vehiclebased on the bump bid of the at least one bump passenger comprisesselecting the at least one bump passenger to bump from thetransportation vehicle based on the cost associated with providing theincentive to the at least one bump passenger.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein the transportation vehicle has a number of total seats and anumber of checked-in passengers, and wherein selecting the at least onebump passenger to bump from the transportation vehicle based on the costassociated with providing the incentive to the at least one bumppassenger comprises: determining, with a computer, a number of neededseats by subtracting the number of total seats from the number ofchecked-in passengers; and iteratively selecting, with a computer, abump passenger from the plurality of bump passengers to bump from thetransportation vehicle according to a selection process until the numberof bump passengers selected is equal to or greater than the number ofneeded seats.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein each iteration of theselection process comprises: identifying a first bump passenger from theplurality of bump passengers to bump from the transportation vehicle,the first bump passenger being identified in response to a determinationthat the cost associated with providing the incentive based on the bumpbid of the first bump passenger is lower than or equal to the costassociated with providing the incentive based on the bump bid of eachother bump passenger in the plurality of bump passengers that have notalready been selected to be bumped from the transportation vehicle;identifying all bump passengers in the plurality of bump passengerstraveling in a group with the first bump passenger; determining a groupsize of the group, the group size being the number of passengerstraveling in the group; calculating a number of still-needed seats bysubtracting the number of bump passengers already selected to be bumpedfrom the transportation vehicle from the number of needed seats;selecting the first bump passenger and any bump passengers traveling inthe group with the first bump passenger from the plurality of bumppassengers to be bumped from the transportation vehicle in response to adetermination that the group size is less than or equal to the number ofstill-needed seats; removing the first bump passenger and any bumppassengers traveling in the group from the plurality of bump passengers.7. The method of claim 5, wherein each iteration of the selectionprocess comprises: identifying a first bump passenger from the pluralityof bump passengers to bump from the transportation vehicle, the firstbump passenger being identified in response to a determination that thecost associated with providing the incentive based on the bump bid ofthe first bump passenger is lower than or equal to the cost associatedwith providing the incentive based on the bump bid of each other bumppassenger in the plurality of bump passengers that have not already beenselected to be bumped from the transportation vehicle; identifying allbump passengers in the plurality of bump passengers traveling in a groupwith the first bump passenger; determining a group size of the group,the group size being the number of passengers traveling in the group;calculating a number of still-needed seats by subtracting the number ofbump passengers already selected to be bumped from the transportationvehicle from the number of needed seats; determining whether to bump thefirst passenger and any bump passengers traveling in the group from theplurality of bump passengers; and removing the first bump passenger andany bump passengers traveling in the group from the plurality of bumppassengers, wherein determining whether to bump the first passenger andany bump passengers traveling in the group from the plurality of bumppassengers comprises: if the group size is less than or equal to thenumber of still-needed seats, selecting the first passenger and any bumppassengers traveling in the group to be bumped from the transportationvehicle; and if the group size exceeds the number of still-needed seats,comparing a first cost of bumping the group from the transportationvehicle with a second cost of bumping a number of other bump passengersfrom the transportation vehicle, the number of other bump passengersbeing equal to the number of still-needed seats, and if the second costexceeds the first cost, selecting the first passenger and any bumppassengers traveling in the group to be bumped from the transportationvehicle.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein in at least one iteration ofthe selection process, the group size exceeds the number of still-neededseats.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, with a computer, abump bid for each of a plurality of bump passengers having a ticket forthe transportation vehicle comprises: determining, with a computer,whether at least one bump passenger in the plurality of bump passengersis traveling in a group with at least one other bump passenger;associating, with a computer, the bump bid of the at least one bumppassenger with any bump passengers traveling in a group with the atleast one the at least one other bump passenger.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein at least one bump bid is received via one of: an electronicmail message, a text message, a website interface, and a kioskinterface.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one bump bidcomprises one or more of: a request for credits to a frequent traveleraccount, a request for an upgrade to a higher class of travel, and aselection of a confirmed seat for a replacement transportation vehicle.12. The method of claim 3, further comprising adjusting the bump bidsfrom each of the bump passengers based on additional factors, whereinthe additional factors comprise at least one of: a frequent flier statusof the bump passenger, a fare class of the bump passenger, and atransportation class of the bump passenger.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein determining the cost associated with providing an incentivebased on each received bump bid to each respective bump passengercomprises determining a cost associated with providing an incentivebased on each adjusted bump bid, and wherein selecting the at least onebump passenger to bump from the transportation vehicle based on the bumpbid of the at least one bump passenger comprises selecting the at leastone bump passenger to bump from the transportation vehicle based on thecost associated with providing the incentive to the at least one bumppassenger.
 14. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing, witha computer, an incentive to the each of the selected bump passengers;and adjusting the bump bids from each of the bump passengers based onadditional factors, the additional factors comprising at least one of: afrequent flier status of the bump passenger, a fare class of the bumppassenger, and a transportation class of the bump passenger, whereinreceiving, with a computer, a bump bid for each of a plurality of bumppassengers having a ticket for the transportation vehicle comprises:determining, with a computer, whether at least one bump passenger in theplurality of bump passengers is traveling in a group with at least oneother bump passenger; associating, with a computer, the bump bid of theat least one bump passenger with any bump passengers traveling in agroup with the at least one the at least one other bump passenger;wherein determining the cost associated with providing an incentivebased on each received bump bid to each respective bump passengercomprises determining a cost associated with providing an incentivebased on each adjusted bump bid, wherein selecting the at least one bumppassenger to bump from the transportation vehicle based on the bump bidof the at least one bump passenger comprises selecting the at least onebump passenger to bump from the transportation vehicle based on the costassociated with providing the incentive to the at least one bumppassenger, wherein at least one bump bid is received via one of: anelectronic mail message, a text message, a website interface, and akiosk interface, wherein at least one bump bid comprises one or more of:a request for credits to a frequent traveler account, a request for anupgrade to a higher class of travel, and a selection of a confirmed seatfor a replacement transportation vehicle, and wherein the incentiveprovided to each of the selected bump passengers is based on theunadjusted bump bid of each respective selected bump passengers.
 15. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising providing, with a computer, anincentive to the each of the selected bump passengers; and adjusting thebump bids from each of the bump passengers based on additional factors,the additional factors comprising at least one of: a frequent flierstatus of the bump passenger, a fare class of the bump passenger, and atransportation class of the bump passenger, wherein receiving, with acomputer, a bump bid for each of a plurality of bump passengers having aticket for the transportation vehicle comprises: determining, with acomputer, whether at least one bump passenger in the plurality of bumppassengers is traveling in a group with at least one other bumppassenger; associating, with a computer, the bump bid of the at leastone bump passenger with any bump passengers traveling in a group withthe at least one the at least one other bump passenger; whereindetermining the cost associated with providing an incentive based oneach received bump bid to each respective bump passenger comprisesdetermining a cost associated with providing an incentive based on eachadjusted bump bid, wherein selecting the at least one bump passenger tobump from the transportation vehicle based on the bump bid of the atleast one bump passenger comprises selecting the at least one bumppassenger to bump from the transportation vehicle based on the costassociated with providing the incentive to the at least one bumppassenger, wherein at least one bump bid is received via one of: anelectronic mail message, a text message, a website interface, and akiosk interface, wherein at least one bump bid comprises one or more of:a request for credits to a frequent traveler account, a request for anupgrade to a higher class of travel, and a selection of a confirmed seatfor a replacement transportation vehicle, and wherein the incentiveprovided to each of the selected bump passengers is based on theunadjusted bump bid of each respective selected bump passengers.
 16. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable programcode embodied therein for selecting bump passengers to be bumped from atransportation vehicle, the computer-readable program code comprising:computer-readable program code for receiving a bump bid for a pluralityof bump passengers having a ticket to board the transportation vehicle;computer-readable program code for sorting the plurality of bumppassengers having a ticket to board the transportation vehicle based onthe bump bid for each bump passenger in the plurality of bumppassengers, thereby creating a sorted plurality of bump passengers; andcomputer-readable program code for selecting which bump passengershaving a ticket to bump from the transportation vehicle based on thesorted plurality of bump passengers.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the transportation vehiclehas a number of needed seats, the number of needed seats being a numberof total seats subtracted from a number of checked-in passengers,wherein the number of needed seats and the bump bids for bump passengersother than each respective bump passenger are inaccessible to eachrespective bump passenger when each respective bump bid is received foreach respective bump passenger. wherein the computer-readable programcode for receiving a bump bid for a plurality of bump passengers havinga ticket to board the transportation vehicle comprises:computer-readable program code for receiving a bump bid from a givenbump passenger having a ticket to board the transportation vehicle;computer-readable program code for associating the bump bid from thegiven bump passenger with any bump passenger traveling in a group withthe given bump passenger; and computer-readable program code foradjusting the bump bid based on additional factors, the additionalfactors comprising at least one of: a frequent flier status of the bumppassenger, a fare class of the bump passenger, and a transportationclass of the bump passenger, wherein the sorted plurality of bumppassengers has a first bump passenger, and wherein the computer-readableprogram code for selecting which bump passengers having a ticket toboard to the transportation vehicle based on the sorted plurality ofbump passengers comprises: computer-readable program code fordetermining a number of still-needed seats on the transportationvehicle, by subtracting a number of bump passengers already selected tobe bumped from the transportation vehicle from the number of neededseats; computer-readable program code for identifying the first bumppassenger in the sorted plurality of bump passengers; computer-readableprogram code for identifying a group size of the first bump passenger,the group size being equal to a number of bump passengers traveling inthe group with the first bump passenger including the first bumppassenger; computer-readable program code for selecting the first bumppassenger and any bump passengers traveling in a group with the firstbump passenger to be bumped from the transportation vehicle in responseto a determination that the group size of the first bump passenger doesnot exceed the number of still-needed seats on the transportationvehicle; and computer-readable program code for removing the first bumppassenger and any bump passengers traveling in a group with the firstbump passenger from the sorted plurality of bump passengers.
 18. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable programcode embodied therein for selecting passengers to board on atransportation vehicle, the computer-readable program code comprising:computer-readable program code for determining whether thetransportation vehicle is oversold or undersold; computer-readableprogram code for selecting standby passengers to board thetransportation vehicle based on standby bids received from the standbypassengers in response to determining that the transportation vehicle isundersold; and computer-readable program code for selecting bumppassengers to bump from the transportation vehicle based on bump bidsreceived from the bump passengers in response to determining that thetransportation vehicle is oversold.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the standby bid receivedfrom at least one standby passenger is associated with standbypassengers traveling in a group with the at least one standby passenger.20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein atleast one of the standby bid or at least one bump bid comprises at leastone of: an amount of frequent traveler credits and a change oftransportation class.